Respect, what does it mean to you? Do you feel it is owed to you or do you have to earn it? Do you want to earn it? Do you do what is needed to earn the respect you want, or do you just sit there, behind your desk, and shout orders? Do you really want to be in the position you are in or is it something that you feel was owed to you for your “years of service?”

Respect isn’t just about respecting each other. It is about respecting our profession. People have many different reasons for joining the fire service. No matter what your reason for joining may be, you must show respect to the profession.

To all who are reading this, let’s hear some feedback on what respect means to you. What was your reason for joining the fire service? Do you feel the same today as you did then? Some have gotten into the service and had a change of heart, maybe due to a bad call or the department in general. Either way we all have had something that sparked our interest in the fire service. Seeing a fire engine going down the road as a kid, being a second or third generation. All of us have something that sparked that little fire inside of us. Let’s hear what you guys have to say. Take care and stay safe.

2 Comments

As far as respect I believe you are only as good as your last call (within reason). Everybody has a bad day once in awhile. I respect the rank structure, not exactly the people in the positions. The people who get the most respect from me are the ones that aren’t satisfied with their own performance. Not second guessing but always looking for improvement.
Some guys say “I’ve been on for 20 years what am I going to learn?”. Not too much respect from me. Just because you have existed for 20 years does not mean you are good at your job.
I feel the fire departments should be professional and humble to the people of their city. On the long list of things that piss me off there is a special place for those arrogant pricks that tell a kid to stop bothering the firefighters and go find something to do. Let the kid sit on the damn truck, he might be an elected official some day and I bet he’ll remember you treated him like crap, or he might find something to do with the “misguided” kids. The only people that like us are kids and retirees, the least we can do is try to not ruin that.
Oh yeah, I joined the fire service because Mrs. Anchorpoint told me to get a real job or move out of the house. And I thank her for that too.

This seems to be a hot topic of late , in several forums , Respect to me is earned , in order to get it you must first show it and give it. There is no respect to our profession of late , it seems the fire service is getting a bad rep due to some bad apples.

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Marques Bush

Firefighter Basics launched in February 2009 after Founder/Editor Marques Bush was looking for a way to express himself and share his experiences with brother and sister firefighters. Shortly after founding the site Marques spoke with several trusted friends and ask them to come on board and contribute also. Firefighter Basics is a dedicated group of firefighters who strive everyday to practice what they preach about Training, Safety, and Tradition. Â We can be reached at firefighterbasics@gmail.com

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